The Cleveland Browns have announced that Johnny Manziel will start at quarterback when the Browns are away to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday evening.
Do not expect Manziel to perform miracles for the Browns, or to even win the game.
ALSO ON SPIN ZONE: Where do Browns safeties rank among NFL’s best?
That is not at all a commentary on where Manziel is as a National Football League player. It is not making an excuse for Manziel if he were to flop against the Bengals as he did in his first ever professional start last December. Similar headlines in which either Josh McCown or Austin Davis were exchanged for Johnny Manziel would be accurate as the November 5 showdown involving the two AFC North rivals approaches.
The Browns and Bengals could not be much different as of the first week of November. Cleveland is sitting at 2-6 and looking at another losing season. The Browns have been rough on both sides of the ball. Cincinnati, meanwhile, is maybe the second-best overall team in the AFC. At 7-0 following a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, the Bengals are threatening to run away with the division title before you begin buying Christmas gifts.
More from Cleveland Browns
- Cleveland Browns have built a formidable defensive line
- Ranking the 5 best NFL uniform changes for the 2023 season
- 2023 NFL Season: Evaluation 3 darkhorse MVP candidates
- Stop sleeping on Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns
- NFL: Predicting the top 5 running attacks for the 2023 season
Think back to November 2014 when the Browns defeated the Bengals by 21 points in Cincinnati (h/t ESPN). Then-Cleveland QB Brian Hoyer was hardly spectacular on that night. He completed 15 of 23 pass attempts for 198 yards. He didn’t find the end zone a single time. The offense of the Browns was instead carried by a rushing attack that earned 170 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
There is no reason, other than hope, to believe that will happen this time around.
The current backfield of the Browns has, more often than not, been lackluster this season. Only the Detroit Lions, per ESPN, are averaging fewer rushing yards per game (69.6) than are the Browns (84). The Bengals, meanwhile, have surrendered an average of 5.0 yards on the ground during the current campaign. It nevertheless may be Manziel who has to lead the Browns in rushing yards on Thursday if that aspect of Cleveland’s offense is to be successful against the Bengals.
The rosters of the Browns and the Bengals would be mismatched if at full strength. That does not take into account that the Browns are the walking wounded as they prepare to play against the unbeaten Bengals. Wide receivers Andrew Hawkins and Brian Hartline are both in the NFL concussion protocol, meaning that neither should be allowed to suit up at Cincinnati. Cornerback Joe Haden and safety Donte Whitner are dealing with the same setback.
With McCown under center, the Browns have had an offense that has been good for one solid half of football coupled with two quarters of average-to-poor play in games. That offense, one that is already undermanned, is now down to a pair of backup QBs; Manziel and Davis. As if all of that was not enough reason to consider starting the Cincinnati defense in your fantasy football competitions this weekend, it will have been a short week for Manziel and company when they take the field on Thursday.
There is one other matter that cannot be ignored. Multiple reports emerged on Tuesday that the Browns and Denver Broncos were close on a deal that would have sent All-Pro left tackle Joe Thomas to Denver for multiple draft picks. That trade did not occur before the 4:00 p.m. ET deadline, but one has to wonder how the ordeal has affected Thomas this week. Thomas is a pro who will one day be in the Hall of Fame. He is also a person who nearly saw his life change in only a few hours.
Cleveland head coach Mike Pettine spoke with NFL media reporter Albert Breer about Manziel on Tuesday. Pettine, per Breer, believes that Manziel is better now than where he was a year ago:
"“He’s got some stuff to be cleaned up, but if you’d asked me this a year ago, I would’ve been like, ‘It’s a great mystery, I have no idea where this guy is gonna be,’ ” Pettine said just before practice on Tuesday night. “And if I were to handicap it, I’d maybe be at 50-50 with this guy, and that’d be generous. This year, I’m a lot more confident that if you surround him with the right people, he can be successful.”"
Pettine continued:
"“(Manziel) learned, ‘I don’t have to turn every play into a punt return,’ ” Pettine said. “That was a function of two things. One, that was what he was used to doing. And two, when you don’t know what a defense is in and you’re not sure where the ball should go, extend the play until you do know. Now, if I’m confident and I know and I can process quick and get the ball out, then that’s what you want.”"
Those who would claim themselves to be members of the “Manziel Mafia” may suggest that the Browns are setting Manziel up to fail this week. That take, while scorching hot, is inaccurate. Manziel is a backup to a veteran QB who cannot suit up because of a serious and painful rib injury. His number has been called, and Manziel had better be ready for what may be the toughest task, to date, of the second season of his NFL career.
Next: Browns Wise to Keep Joe Thomas
Anything Manziel does is going to generate headlines and overreactions. Fans will clamor for Manziel to be named the starting QB of the Browns for the rest of the season if he plays admirably against the Bengals. Others will want to give up on Manziel if he struggles at Cincinnati. In reality, this is probably the worst week that Manziel or Davis could have been named a spot-starter. That’s life in the NFL. The hope is that Manziel shows glimpses of being a serviceable QB against the Bengals.
That alone could be a miracle considering all that Manziel and the Browns will be up against at Cincinnati.